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Million pennies man meets his target

John Billitteri and his One Million One Pence Challenge bike. Credit: ITV West Country

Pride of Britain regional finalist, John Billitteri from Kingswood near Bristol, has succeeded in his mission to collect a million pennies for Help for Heroes.

He has spent years travelling around the city with his bicycle and trailer collecting pennies in support of the charity, which supports wounded military personnel.

The 57-year-old started his one million pennies challenge in 2013 although he had been raising money for Help for Heroes some time before hand. He was inspired by his daughter Marisa who was in ITV's X Factor and sang for a number one single in aid of the charity.

People of all ages have donated their loose change to the cause. He has now reached his target of a million pennies - that's an impressive £10,000 pounds.

Spot the two pound coin! Some people didn't stop at giving pennies. Credit: ITV West Country

John's generosity led him to be nominated for the ITV Fundraiser of the Year in the West Country as part of the Pride of Britain awards.

We asked our viewers to put forward people in our region who go the extra mile to help others and raise money for charity. John and his bike have done that, quite literally.

Credit: ITV West Country

John Billitteri was one of four Pride of Britain finalists from the ITV West region. He was beaten to the prize by former paratrooper John Wilkins, whose daring skydives and other work raises thousands for Bristol Children's Hospital.